Parent Education and Family Relations

Thirty-one married couples (62 subjects) participated in this study of the effect of parenting courses on family relationships. Sixteen subjects (8 couples) participated in parenting courses (either Parent Effectiveness Training, P.E.T., or Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, STEP) with their spouses, while for the other 23 couples only one member participated. The courses are generally seen as beneficial, and there are no differences in perceived effectiveness between P.E. T. and S. T.E.P. Couples where both members participated perceive the course as no more effective than do those where only one member participated, and low marital adjustment subjects rate their relationships as improved over the course.